So I recently succumb and bought the Dead Man’s Hand Down Under package deal so now I have 3 more gangs and 2 rogues to look at. The first of the gangs I have chosen to examine is the Bushrangers.
Now up front I want to say that initially I was not aware that the gangs and content of this expansion worked with the Core rules and Legend and as such had kept away from it, but the idea of having Ned in the west or using the State police potentially as the Federales of Mexico eventually made me give in.
So who were the Bushrangers and what do we know of them – ok so to be honest very Little – but this school history site has some interesting (and I assume accurate) information.
https://www.twinkl.co.uk/teaching-wiki/australian-bushrangers
Their gang specific cards are included in the Dead Mans Hand Down Under Card set – which comes with the expansion or can be bought separately.
So hopefully my painting doesn’t let these down.
The Bushrangers are introduced in the expansion by the following
The Bushrangers are some of the meanest types you’re ever likely to cross. They’ve left the world behind and taken up a life of crime.
Dead Man’s Hand Down Under rules – Great escape games
Living in the most desperate parts of the land they feel they are out of reach of the law and society at large. This distance from others has taken it’s toll on any moral values they once may have had.
For them life is cheap and best lived fast and wild.
The Bushrangers have 4 model types available
PATRIARCH – the gang must have 1 of these and they are armed with a pistol.
WILD BOY – this is an optional model type but a gang can take upto 1, who is then armed with 2 pistols.
FELONS – the gang must have at least 2 of these, they can be armed with a pistol, shotgun or musket and 1 may have a rifle. Remember like most gangs at least 50% must be with a pistol as their sole ranged weapon.
SWAGMEN – the gang can include upto 4 of these and they are armed with pistols, up to half may have muskets.
I can hear you say what is a musket? .. Well a Musket is a single shot weapon with ranges like a Repeating rifle but it goes out of ammo after each shot. WHAT you say – so why would you use it?. Well if you don’t automatically take a character out of action, but hit, it always causes an under fire marker and nerve test result. So basically any thing that is between 11 and 18 is counted at a 15-18 hit now that is worth an out of ammo token in my book.
They have 2 special rules are, an oddity here is the first one is permanently active and as such both can be used in a turn and in fact FIGHT BEFORE SURRENDER can trigger multiple times a round.
- FIGHT BEFORE SURRENDER – if one of the BUSHRANGERS uses all 3 actions to shoot, the shooter may remove 1 underfire marker. But this does mean that the under fire marker will have impact on the 3 shots.
- LIVE OFF THE LAND – After initiative cards have been placed and revealed, but before any any models are activated, the BUSHRANGER player may move any one of their models one move (10cm) for free. As this is outside of the normal turn it does not count towards a models actions nor towards shoots taken by/or against the model.
Like all gangs they also have their own specific Jack, Queen, King and Aces cards
- ACE – “No More” – this card can be played when one of the BUSHRANGERS has taken 3 under fire markers and is about to be shot again – so you have to risk this on a biscuit – that is play it when the character may or may not take an additional under fire marker. Once the card is played the BUSHRANGER gets to move the targeted figure up to 10cm, if they are able to end their move out of sight then the shooting character cannot shoot any further shots at this BUSHRANGER. My reading of this is that the first shot gets to be made. This is best thought of as a second DUCK BACK – so you could use the initial interrupt to take a snap shot at the target and this card to save the target.
- KING – “Shoot on sight” – having just talked about quick shots – this card can only be played when a BUSHRANGER is about to take a quick shot, it allows the character to take 2 shots instead of one. This would be great if you could combine it with the ACE.
- QUEEN – “Going up or Coming down” – this is another that has to be played after initiative has been shown but before a model is activated. It allows you to take the top card from the BUSHRANGERS deck and use it to replace any existing initiative card for the BUSHRANGERS
- JACK – “Tell ’em I died game” – this card is played when one of the BUSHRANGERS is taken out of action, if forces all opponents within 20cm to take a NERVE test and if they fail it they must take an under fire marker.
The BUSHRANGERS are quite a dangerous and unfriendly gang, especially when armed with MUSKETS.
This is the first of the GANGS from Dead mans hand Down under, so, and I admit it wasn’t planned I am doing the Third supplement third, by complete accident.
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